The Bright Side

Chapter 3 - Part 2

TRISTAN

"Are you going out again today?" Mum asks me with her keys in one and the door handle in the other hand.

"No."

Hanging with Sky at East Coast was fun for a while, but I feel like if I'm gonna watch him skate another day whilst sitting around I'll start crying. And I'd rather not embarrass myself in public. I invited him over to play video games with me instead. He'll be here any minute.

"Mum, when can I get back to work?"

She shoves the keys into her pocket and leans against the doorframe, eyeing my cast.

"You're useless, Tristan."

"I love you, too, Mum."

"I'm sorry, but what do you think you can do?"

"Well, front desk? I can still work on a computer. And paperwork. Place orders, accounting, pay checks? That kind of stuff? Answer the phone?" I'm desperately trying to think of more tasks I can see to despite the arm.

"Tell you what, kid. You stay home until next week and then we'll ease you back in. For a few hours every day and see how it works out."

"Great!"

"See you later."

I hear her hop down the stairs and after a "Bye, Rory!" that echoes through all of the house, but isn't answered, she's gone.

***

"There it is." I gesture towards my old Super Nintendo on the floor.

Sky quickly scans my room, like people always do when they visit someone at home for the first time to catch a glimpse of who the owners really are. His eyes linger on the fishing net that spans my ceiling and that holds rolled up magazines and my favourite leftover toys from when I was a kid; an army of matchbox cars tied to the fibres, Ninja Turtle figures facing the floor, a Power Ranger with only one arm. And the teddy. I'll have to get rid of the teddy. He broadens his mouth to a rather unconvincing but polite smile for a split second and then crouches down in front of the SNES and starts shuffling through the games.

"It's a time machine." He starts to sort the games into two stacks. "I'm like eight years old again. A friend from school used to have one back then, so uncool at the time to not have a PlayStation."

He pulls Super Mario World from one of the stacks and holds it up.

"Classic."

"Two player game?" I ask as he inserts the cartridge into the slot and switches it on.

"Yup."

Sky slides across the floor until he comes to sit next to me with his back against the bed frame. The familiar tune sounds through the room and Sky's eyes are as wide as if it's Christmas morning. I guess that's as close to showing excitement as he gets.

"Oh, my God." He grins towards the screen. "Can I go first?"

"Knock yourself out."

Who knew there was a little boy inside of Sky St. Cloud? It's fun to watch him play; he jerks the controller around to reinforce his intentions and I have to smile at the sight of it, because I do it just the same. It's only thanks to Sky that we make it all across Yoshi's Island, the Donut Plains and halfway through Vanilla Dome. The controller is jerked between my cast and my knee and I can't control the directions as good with my fingers as when I'm using my thumb. I'm still having the best possible time.

I'm in the middle of Vanilla Ghost House when the doorbell rings. I ignore it at first, because it's almost drowned out by the tune; it's only after I die and the level ends that I have to admit that I heard it. And that's when another game begins. One Rory and I play at least once a week. I know he's right next door and we don't need words to challenge each other for a match of our personal version of Mikado – that game with the pile of sticks you have to pick up one by one without making the others move. That's what we do. Who moves first loses.